healing roots
From "THINC Fund Large Projects (£25,000-£50,000)"
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The Stockwell Park Community Trust is seeking 1 year’s funding to establish a no cost/lo-cost Community Based Therapies Centre. We will offer one-to-one and group sessions to clients with conditions and circumstances where there is shown to be significant benefit in complementing mainstream interventions i.e:
● Chronic pain & fibromyalgia.
● Complex PTSD
● Learning difficulties and disabilities
● Paid and unpaid carers.
● Low paid/essential workers.
● Benefit claimants
● Families and children (with outreach to schools & nurseries) including neurodiverse children and adults.
● Mental Health Issues
● Homeless, Care leavers & Ex-offenders
● Substance abuse interventions.
Our therapies include acupuncture, acupressure, massage, somatic movement and self-regulation therapies that require little/no language to get results and will be subject to ongoing assessment for efficacy. We will prioritise those traditionally marginalised, who often find it difficult to access health services, particularly Complementary Therapies.
A recent survey https://urbanhealth.org.uk/insights/data/a-first-of-its-kind-health-and-wellbeing-study-for-lambeth-and-southwark noted Half of the residents seeking mental health support are finding it difficult to access. Stockwell has a high density of social housing, housing need and poverty above the national average which contributes to poorer health outcomes and greater burdens on services. Our community includes long standing immigrant communities, including West Indian, Somali, West African, EU residents, amongst others and a large refugee/migrant contingent. The NHS system and related services can be confusing and difficult to negotiate if English is not your first language.
Doctors at Stockwell Group Practice report pain syndromes, a large proportion of their patients experience depression, trauma, require additional support for chronic and stress related conditions such as rheumatism, digestive issues, sleep disturbance, self-medication or substance abuse or are maybe supporting others with those issues. The surgery’s list is growing with doctors unable to support so many vulnerable people with extended time or treatment. In addition doctors health is negatively impacted. Our inclusive, wheelchair accessible Centre will allow all, regardless of income, to enjoy therapies that are proving to be essential components of preventing and alleviating illness, and will relieve the burden on an overtaxed health service.
We have identified a pressing need to extend the existing social support provided by the centre. Funding will cover:
● Marketing and open days.
● part-time salaries of two trauma informed therapists, reception/Centre manager, cleaner and supervision.
● equipment, supplies & materials.
● building rental, maintenance and utility costs.
● licensing & DBS.
We are ideally placed to deliver this service with a proven history of supporting the most vulnerable people in Lambeth including:
● Those caught in the Windrush and the Shirley Oaks Children’s Home scandals working with the we are group supporting compensation
● Those on disability benefits with partner with certitude and have an advisor one day a week
● Youth and gang involvement/working across gang boundaries in the 90’s.
● Asylum seekers and migrants. Migrants day held two weeks ago in partnership with Homeless and Migrant charities (instagram)
● Those experiencing mental health difficulties. Working with Certitude and visiting clients in Landor Road Hospital
● Social housing residents and families. Based on social housing estate working across estates -project with families from Angell Town
● Those who are neuro diverse (adults and children) Certitude and previously with All For Autism/Halloween event for Spanish Autistic kids
● Rehabilitation of offenders/currently working on coffee project. Probation Hub in the Centre & Catch 22 & and Reed COP
● Homeless. Links to Brixton Soup Kitchen, Ace of Clubs, Street Link
Our projects aim to break down barriers, offering informal support, alongside long term partners, in the form of advice, food bank, meals, meeting spaces, health checks, classes, rehearsal space and more. See our website https://www.thetrust.org.uk/index.html for details of the part we play in the community. We are requesting £50,000